By Marina Malenic

Boeing [BA] and Northrop Grumman [NOC] Oct. 12 announced their comprehensive partner team to compete for the Missile Defense Agency’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) development and sustainment contract.

“Boeing is proud to have partnered with the Missile Defense Agency as prime contractor of GMD for more than a decade, working with more than 170 companies to make GMD an operational reality,” said Greg Hyslop, vice president and general manager of Boeing Strategic Missile and Defense Systems. “Our unmatched experience on GMD enables us to assemble the best team possible for this critical national security capability, and to ensure the lowest cost through our competitive procurement process.”

The new partners are: Alaska Metrology Calibration Services Inc., All Points Logistics Inc., Davidson Technologies Inc., Delta Industrial Services Inc., DESE Research Inc., Dynetics Inc., Harris Corp. [HRS], Issac Corp., Jeskell Inc., nLogic, Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB], Oregon Iron Works, Penta Research Inc., Raytheon [RTN], Trident Group Inc. and Victory Solutions Inc.

“This team brings together the expertise, skill and innovation of those who built GMD, are committed to its future and can offer the customer the lowest risk and the highest level of support throughout GMD’s life cycle,” said Norm Tew, Boeing vice president and GMD program manager

The Missile Defense Agency in 2001 selected Boeing to develop, deploy, integrate and test GMD. Boeing delivered a limited operational capability in 2004 and continues to serve as industry lead on the project.

MDA has said it will issue a final request for proposals for the contract this year and make its choice in 2011. It calls for work to be done at Fort Greely, Alaska, Eareckson AS, Alaska, Schriever AFB, Colo., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

Rival Lockheed Martin [LMT] announced 11 new teammates this summer, in addition to strategic partner Raytheon and partners Alaska Aerospace and NANA Development Corp. Lockheed Martin’s additional partner companies are Dynetics Inc., QuantiTech Inc., ARES Corp., CohesionForce Inc., IroquoiSystems Inc., ATK [ATK], Bechtel National Inc., Harris, Imprimis Inc., Oregon Iron Works Inc. and TDX Power Inc.